


From Ash and Fire

by Kali_Blue



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Adventure, Dancing in the Rain, Fire Magic, Magic, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 00:19:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12494172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kali_Blue/pseuds/Kali_Blue
Summary: Lilith may have been born the great saviour of Skyrim, but people often  forget she has a dragon soul contained within a mortal’s body. As a creature born without wings, dancing with fire was the closest thing she’s ever going to get to flying.





	From Ash and Fire

It all started just after dusk.

The last of dappled light faded through the canopy just as the sun went down, turning a brown-green forest dark. Only the light from crackling flame illuminated the area, causing nearby trees to cast ominous shadows on leafy earth.

The shadows brought to mind monsters Lilith so often fought off these days, particularly of  the twisted, disfigured vampires she’d had the misfortune to stumble across barely a week past after seeking shelter from an injury. Oh, she’d won, and easily, but she still recalled the taste of ashes in her mouth after setting the poor creatures on fire. The Mer still pitied them. They’d been human once after all.

Lips twisting at the memory, the young woman turned her head away and stared into the trees instead. What little light there was revealed a face with angles to sharp to be human. The ears that peeped out of pale hair were delicately pointed, and crimson eyes that flickered about her surroundings were sharp and wary. What little skin not covered by rough woollen skirt, belted tunic and cloak revealed arms and face with blue-grey skin. She was thin and lean, of only average height and build. Easy pickings to the inexperienced eye.

Above the sound of rustling leaves a shattering roar could be heard in the distance.  That was fine. If the dragon was close enough she could hear and sense it, it would certainly be aware the dragonborn was lurking about the forest. If the creature hadn’t appeared by now it very likely wouldn’t. Provided it wasn’t razing a village or trying to eat her, she occasionally made a point to leave her kin alone. If the dragon in question extended her the same courtesy.

And yet it wasn’t her environment or the dragon that bothered her. The dunmer had put herself in somewhat of a precarious situation. At her back were sheer cliffs. While she’d been fortunate enough to find a naturally formed cavity within the cliff face, it was certainly no grotto. The south-easterly wind blowing towards her meant the rain would be carried inside. It’s very likely she’d spend the night miserable and wet.

As it was, the wind blowing through her hair already had a sharp bite to it, and she rubbed goose pimpled arms. With head tilted, her face moved upwards. They were rolling in quickly now – angry dark clouds blanketing an already black sky. Lilith drew herself deeper into the cavity, towards the fire with her pack beside it. She frowned in thought. With no horse to carry her across the roads quickly, she wasn’t going to make it to the next village any time soon. Her best option was to hunker down until dawn and hope for the best.

Lilith flinched and covered overly sensitive ears when lightning split the sky and struck a tree not far from her little den. With ears ringing, she retreated until her back was to the wall and crouched down for a time. Luckily, her magic made the fire beside her impervious to rain, but it was still going to be a very rough night. 

A loud crack, the sound of a tree about to fall, made her scuttle along the wall in panic. The noise was so close Lilith expected something to collapse on top of her,  but she watched instead as one of the highest trees fell in the opposite direction, taking several along with it as it hit the ground with an earth-shattering thud. Lilith breathed a sigh of relief and let her arms fall to her sides, but soon noticed the signs of a small fire licking hungrily at the branches. It wasn't hard to miss in darkness.

She wasn’t too worried. It wouldn’t likely do much damage as the ground and surrounding forest were far too wet for it to gain any purchase. It would likely flicker out within a few minutes, but the Mer certainly had a use for it.

Brows furrowed in thought, she reached out with a hand and called it to her. Contained within that small fire were flickers of magic. Enough to give it some semblance of sentience, and certainly enough for her to work with. The flames were stubborn, _sulky_ despite her insistence. 

Lilith knew what it desired, even though it had no chance on its own. It wanted to let the wind guide it to consume anything and everything in its path. To swallow the forest whole until was razed and blackened. Only when the flames were sated and its appetite quenched would it fizzle out content in the knowledge it had devoured all it could. It wasn’t an evil or malicious impulse exactly. The desire for destruction was something she’d seen reflected in the faces of men often enough to know the difference.

It just was what it was, no more and no less.  It was acting within its nature, and its nature was to devour. Thus, being under the control of a mage it was something i _t did not want_. It even told her so. 

And so Lilith’s only response was to scold it. Harshly. Like a dog with a tail between its legs it slowly, reluctantly, trickled towards her in streams of dull molten gold. She directed it to float just above her hands. It condensed itself into a tightly controlled orb, expanding and collapsing before starting the process all over again.

 _Well?_ It asked her.

She tilted her head at the flames, considering. Lilith reached within, towards her own magic, and guided it outside of herself. With it, she fed the flames so they’d be more than strong enough to withstand the light drizzle. 

Her affinity with destruction magic, with _fire_ , was something she’d felt within her very bones from the time she was born. That feeling had only been confirmed as a young child when, with chubby arms outstretched, she’d stumbled over scorching flame and crouched down to play with red hot coals. The tiny sparks contained within the coals were warm and inviting – not at all dangerous to a small toddler just wanting to play. She gurgled happily with round red eyes, but startled quickly and failed to understand why her mother wailed into the night. Why did the Ashlander villagers around her cry out and look at her in distress? The fire didn’t mind, she wanted to tell them. The fire was her friend. 

She was jealous of the flames… in a way. It had a simplistic thought process, couldn’t perceive that its very nature brought devastation and death around it. It wasn’t burdened by human considerations of good and evil and every morally grey thing in between.

Lilith wished she wasn’t so burdened. The Mer was _aware_ the mistakes she made cost lives. Every success placed more expectations on her. By Oblivion, even her very inaction had consequences. Lilith didn’t regret being the dragonborn. She was just… weary.

 _Forget?_ It instinctively knew what she wanted, and offered it as a single word. Perhaps it was bartering to preserve its own existence, but a smile spread across Lilith’s face. There were spur-of-the-moment occasions, like now, where Lilith had the opportunity to forget. That Lilith had the fate of the mortal realm in her hands. That the Mer was really a dragon soul stuffed within a mortal’s body.

She _should_ have been born with wings. 

It wasn’t quite like riding the wind currents.  She’d been on the back of a dragon before. Felt her hair fly about as the wind buffeted against her face, eyes closed to slits as Lilith screamed with laughter at finally being able to _fly_.

Dancing was the next best thing.

Lilith smiled, suddenly struck by an idea. At worst, it would help fight the cold already settling into her skin. At best, well, the night would go by that much quicker and she’d be _warm_. She spread her hands out, manipulating the flames until it spread again. She told it, _I can’t let you devour, but I can let you dance._

She swayed on both feet for several seconds, eyes closed, a small smile on her face. The streams moved to circle above her - waiting patiently for her to move. She moved one foot forward and lifted her right arm above her head - curious to see if it would obey her. It did as Lilith bid, moved up with her arm, slithered eagerly like a snake just above. She moved her other foot forward, and lifted her left arm up. Quick as a flash it twisted to follow her movement.

Lilith balled her hands into fists, and released them again.

The flames exploded, split into dozens of expanding wisps that twirled, flickered and danced around her. With hair whipped about by the wind, she lifted both arms higher and pivoted on her right foot.  It ran with her when she dashed up a pile of rocks. Leaping down, Lilith changed direction as she twisted and spun on the ball of her other foot, and the flames circled when she did. She kicked out with pointed toes and it thrust itself up high, high above into the canopy.

Had she been cognizant of her surroundings, Lilith would have noticed she was moving on the whim of the wind. The same behaviour displayed by natural, uncontrolled flames when consuming everything in its path. Or perhaps it was the way a dragon behaved when it allowed itself to be taken by the currents. She wasn’t sure how long she kept it up, fire moving above her and around her and through her. Time slowed and her world focused to a pinpoint.

No one and nothing mattered except her and the flames.


End file.
